A brilliant writer once started his novel with the words “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. My wish is that my life was a good balance of times. Living can be so ephemeral, like vapor…dissipating. People gone from my sight. Not handling situations quite right. I keep moving; otherwise life will run me over.
It’s been over three months since I left my beloved Chicago.
Sunrise from my 19th floor Dearborn St.. apartment in Printers Row
In my years lived, in the darkest of times, a gem has glowed and opened a path that led to a new chapter. The memory of my beloved’s words linger on, “Alfie, open up and let things pass through you”. No blockage. Regrets and uncertainty only hinder or at least, slow down the process.
In the wake of the news of Seamus Heaney’s death, the greatest Irish poet since Yeats, I searched his quotes and in the well of his brilliance, I found “I have begun to think of life as a series of ripples widening out from an original center.” I am thankful for the origin of my center, because it casts ever-widening ripples allowing me to proceed forward to a new opportunity of creativity. I believe we are all built for a specific task in life, and mine is to produce new and creative ideas each day and thankfully my work life has allowed me the opportunity to do just that.
I moved from Chicago to Madison to pursue a new venture, a second career, managing The Tip Top Tavern. I feel excited and can hardly wait for the challenge to begin, but I lament the abandonment of my life as a filmmaker and photographer. I say… make the time and you can have both, perhaps, but my profile has changed, because my outlook has changed…it has to for me to pursue this new quest for creativity. I know it…and I look towards this new chapter with the excitement of new ways to think, work and create, after all, that is the only thing that really matters. In the words of Federico Fellini, “You exist only in what you do.” 
I reflect…and the fire shoots from the glass of wine in front of me and through the top of my head indicating my free flowing movement forward, as my youth waves good-bye and openly says, “Welcome to the new chapter”. As always, I embrace it with an open heart and a new set of ideas to explore and implement. Hope to see you all at The Tip Top.
abrasho 
Apo, it’s great when you have an opportunity like this to put feelings into words, to be willing to share them and to do it so well. I enjoy your blogs…universal reflections that, I am sure, resonate with many others.
Mona
You know what Al, I wish that I knew you better. We’re all looking for those strands that connect us in a deep way. I didn’t know about Seamus Heaney’s death…I’ve illustrated articles about him at least twice in my career. I really wanted to illustrate Beowulf once upon a time and Seamus’ translation revived that urge. Anyway, God speed, Now the Tip Top is on my ‘bucket list,’ and Madison isn’t on the dark side of the moon.